Chris Lombardi puts defense and security under the spotlight, as he shares his takes on recent NATO and EU cooperation and provides insight into the company’s own long-term strategic partnerships in Europe.

Three trends are currently driving the global electricity sector: decarbonization, decentralization and differentiation. Utilities are making significant contributions to mitigate carbon emissions, while a technology revolution is …

News in brief

European Voice

5/7/08, 5:00 PM CET

Updated 4/12/14, 3:28 PM CET

GM approval delays

The European Commission yesterday (7 May) delayed a decision to authorise genetically modified (GM) crops, saying that more scientific analysis was needed. The Commission referred applications on several products, including two maizes and a potato, to the European Food Safety Authority. Separately, the Commission asked Austria to lift its ban on the import of two GM maizes.

Aid for Myanmar

The Commission will provide €2 million in humanitarian aid for victims of Cyclone Nargis, which claimed some 22,000 lives in Myanmar (Burma). The funds will be managed by ECHO, the Commission’s humanitarian aid department. Shelter and drinking water are thought to be the most pressing needs at this stage. The aid will be distributed by UN agencies, Red Cross bodies and European relief groups.

Water quality standards

MEPs on Tuesday (6 May) voted for more pollutants to be covered by a law on water standards. A majority of MEPs on the Parliament’s environment committee voted for 31 additional pollutants, including dioxins, to be incorporated in the draft directive on surface water quality standards. Under the proposal, member states would have to meet the water quality standards by 2015.

Visas for Serbian visitors

Sixteen EU member states plus Norway decided to offer free visas to Serbian citizens just days before an early parliamentary election in Serbia to be held on Sunday (11 May). Visas for the Schengen area currently cost € 35. A statement by the French government said that that up to 80% of visa applicants in Serbia could benefit from the free visas. The Commissioner in charge of justice and home affairs, Jacques Barrot, was scheduled to travel to Belgrade on 7-8 May to present a road map for talks which could lead to the scrapping the visa requirements altogether, a process that will take months, if not years.